Practice Focus

Colette Gibbons has over 40 years of legal experience with a practice focus on insolvency related issues, including debtor representation, debtors-in-possession, creditors, lending institutions, hedge funds, trustees, receivers, creditors’ committees, non-profit entities and health care providers in all aspects of state and federal insolvency proceedings and out-of-court resolutions.

Throughout her highly accomplished career, Colette has received numerous recognitions for her bankruptcy expertise. She was admitted as a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy in 2010. Other honors include: Top 100 Super Lawyers in Ohio and Top 50 Women Super Lawyers in Ohio, Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business-Bankruptcy, the Best Lawyers in America, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Northern Ohio Live Rainmaker of the Year for Law.

Colette earned her J.D., cum laude, from Cleveland-Marshall School of Law in 1976 and received a B.A., cum laude, from John Carroll University in 1973.

Representative Cases/Matters

Currently serves as a Chapter 11 trustee of a chain of 28 restaurants

Served as the court-appointed Receiver in litigation related to an indoor mall facility filed in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas

Served as the court-appointed Receiver in a dispute regarding a landmark multi-story building in downtown Cleveland with significant real property and safety challenges

Represented school district in defense of mandamus action in 11th District Court of Appeals in Ohio brought by shareholders to obtain refund of real estate taxes

Represented four separate affiliates in the plastics industry that were subject to lender initiated receivership process during the negotiation of four separate sale transactions with separate purchasers and a singular close date.

Represented the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, production and commercial sale of coalbed methane in the Illinois basin

Obtained wide-ranging ruling and established limit on ability of creditors’ committees to maintain derivative actions against former shareholders, resulting in dismissal of Committee action

Argued for affirmance of trial and appellate holdings that guarantor is entitled to notice of sale of collateral and holds the right to a commercially reasonable sale of collateral, which those rights are not valuable waivable prior to default

Represented an Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of a leading design-build firm in substantially greater potential for recovery for general unsecured creditors of the firm and related debtors